Mount Sicker
Encyclopedia
Mount Sicker is a small mountain on Vancouver Island
, British Columbia
, Canada
. It is near Crofton
, Chemainus and Duncan
.
The fire was, however, a mixed blessing. When Harry Smith, their new partner, returned in the spring of 1897, the burned area revealed a 30 feet (9.1 m) outcropping of copper at the mountain's 1400 feet (426.7 m). The new strike was named Lenora, after Smith's daughter.
When news of the discovery became public, a staking rush ensued and within weeks the entire mountain, base to summit, was staked.
By 1900, the townsite of Lenora was established and lots were sold -- $75 for corner lots and $50 for inside lots, with 1/3 payable in cash and the remainder payable in three and six months.
Throughout the first decade of the 1900s, Mount Sicker was the source of a number of mines—including the Lenora nearest the base of the mountain, the Tyee further uphill and the Richard III still further up the mountain—that would extract copper and send it to the Crofton smelter before being shipped across the world. The two main mines were the Lenora and the Tyee. One mine used an aerial tramway
to ship the ore over the mountain to Stratford's Crossing on the E and N Railway
. The other mine was served by the Leonora and Mt. Sicker Railway
to Crofton
. When the smelter closed in 1908, the mountain lost its importance to the economy.
The Lenora mine operated between 1898 and 1903 (when it became embroiled in litigation) and in 1907. The Tyee mine was worked intermittently between 1901 and 1909, while the Richard III mine operated between 1903 and 1907. During this time, the three mines reportedly produced 1,107 kilograms of gold, 22,955 kilograms of silver and 9,180 tonnes of copper from 229,000 tonnes of ore extracted largely by hand. The sites have been operated intermittently since 1909.
Many houses from the town of Mount Sicker were salvaged and moved to other communities in the Cowichan Valley
, but some remained as a ghost town
until weather, vandalism, and finally logging erased almost all traces. Mining activity has continued on a sporadic basis; in the 1970s a company was using a leaching
process to recover minerals from the tailing piles. There's been core sample drilling around the mine area since then, so mining may return.
from the mountain.
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is near Crofton
Crofton, British Columbia
Crofton, British Columbia, Canada, is a small coastal town that is part of the District of North Cowichan on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The population is estimated at 2,500 people...
, Chemainus and Duncan
Duncan, British Columbia
Duncan is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.-History:The community is named after William Chalmers Duncan . He arrived in Victoria in May 1862, then in August of that year he was one of the party of a hundred settlers which Governor Douglas took to Cowichan Bay...
.
Mining history
In the autumn of 1895, three American prospectors—F.L. Sullivan, T. McKay and Henry Buzzard—discovered traces of copper, gold and silver on Mount Sicker and staked their claims. The following spring, they began prospecting and digging a shaft until August, when a forest fire devastated the western face of Mount Sicker. The prospectors fled the site, but their cabin and gear were destroyed in the fire.The fire was, however, a mixed blessing. When Harry Smith, their new partner, returned in the spring of 1897, the burned area revealed a 30 feet (9.1 m) outcropping of copper at the mountain's 1400 feet (426.7 m). The new strike was named Lenora, after Smith's daughter.
When news of the discovery became public, a staking rush ensued and within weeks the entire mountain, base to summit, was staked.
By 1900, the townsite of Lenora was established and lots were sold -- $75 for corner lots and $50 for inside lots, with 1/3 payable in cash and the remainder payable in three and six months.
Throughout the first decade of the 1900s, Mount Sicker was the source of a number of mines—including the Lenora nearest the base of the mountain, the Tyee further uphill and the Richard III still further up the mountain—that would extract copper and send it to the Crofton smelter before being shipped across the world. The two main mines were the Lenora and the Tyee. One mine used an aerial tramway
Aerial tramway
An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
to ship the ore over the mountain to Stratford's Crossing on the E and N Railway
E and N Railway
The Southern Railway of Vancouver Island is in length, and is one of two remaining railways on Vancouver Island, the other being the Englewood Railway. The railroad runs from Victoria to Courtenay, with a branch line from Parksville to Port Alberni...
. The other mine was served by the Leonora and Mt. Sicker Railway
Leonora and Mt. Sicker Railway
The Leonora and Mt. Sicker Railway was a mine narrow gauge railway which hauled copper ore from Mount Sicker to tidewater on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It operated from 1903 to 1908....
to Crofton
Crofton, British Columbia
Crofton, British Columbia, Canada, is a small coastal town that is part of the District of North Cowichan on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The population is estimated at 2,500 people...
. When the smelter closed in 1908, the mountain lost its importance to the economy.
The Lenora mine operated between 1898 and 1903 (when it became embroiled in litigation) and in 1907. The Tyee mine was worked intermittently between 1901 and 1909, while the Richard III mine operated between 1903 and 1907. During this time, the three mines reportedly produced 1,107 kilograms of gold, 22,955 kilograms of silver and 9,180 tonnes of copper from 229,000 tonnes of ore extracted largely by hand. The sites have been operated intermittently since 1909.
Many houses from the town of Mount Sicker were salvaged and moved to other communities in the Cowichan Valley
Cowichan Valley
The Cowichan Valley is a region around the Cowichan River and Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. There is some debate as to the origin of the name Cowichan, which many believe to be an anglicized form of the First Nations tribal name Quw'utsun.Communities include...
, but some remained as a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
until weather, vandalism, and finally logging erased almost all traces. Mining activity has continued on a sporadic basis; in the 1970s a company was using a leaching
Leaching (metallurgy)
Leaching is a widely used extractive metallurgy technique which converts metals into soluble salts in aqueous media. Compared to pyrometallurgical operations, leaching is easier to perform and much less harmful, because no gaseous pollution occurs...
process to recover minerals from the tailing piles. There's been core sample drilling around the mine area since then, so mining may return.
Location
Mount Sicker can be reached from Mt. Prevost Road off Somenos Road or from Mt. Sicker Road off Westholme Road. The roads on Mount Sicker are unpaved, unmaintained and not sign-posted, and there may be active logging, so visitors should use common sense and caution. There are good views of the Gulf Islands and Cowichan ValleyCowichan Valley
The Cowichan Valley is a region around the Cowichan River and Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. There is some debate as to the origin of the name Cowichan, which many believe to be an anglicized form of the First Nations tribal name Quw'utsun.Communities include...
from the mountain.